Genetic insights into Neanderthal society

What can we learn about Neanderthal society from this huge genetic sample?
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Huge thanks to Laurits Skov
Source (It's open access): www.nature.com/articles/s4158...
/ stefanmilo
Disclaimer: Use my videos as a rough guide to a topic. I am not an expert, I may get things wrong. This is why I always post my sources so you can critique my work and verify things for yourselves. Of course I aim to be as accurate as possible which is why you will only find reputable sources in my videos. Secondly, information is always subject to changes as new information is uncovered by archaeologists.
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[@StefanMilo]

For 50% off with HelloFresh PLUS free shipping, use code 50STEFANMILO at bit.ly/3Qec8y9

[@montypythonator]

First off, it's only 3:25am...

[@mitchwood6609]

STEFAN, CHEESE AND RICE (jesus christ), cheese and rice my friend... YOU LIKE thinking about deep thoughts while affected by mind altering substances?!?!?!?!? GUESS WHAT? Our ancient ancestors did too also and this is exactly what has led us humans to become "human" ......... I believe monkeys got high and that is part of the key to the piece of our evolution puzzle on intelligence... what are your thoughts on this subject? Now I'm not promoting everyone go out and get high. On the contrary I'm against it... But the RIGHT person witht he RIGHT drug unlocks miracles in the mind and allows him/her to think "outside of the box''............. please reply with your thoughts and maybe do a whole video on this?

[@jimmyjasi-]

Shout out to Orangután Women! I prefer Gibbons. I really hope Danubepithecus was our 5 million Gibbonlike Ancestor. Brachiation is so Romantic! Almost like flying!

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

I finished watching this at 3: 49 am. And yes, I am stoned.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

@@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095 : Such minor differences often do exist between British English and American English.

[@Finkelthusiast]

As a 4 am stoner, thanks for the bedtime story Dad.

[@tannerdenny5430]

Late night trips to Mars are my favorite

[@noahsabin7386]

Stoners dream of the stone age. Their reasons are their own.

[@sarcastaball]

Right on, and likewise, mate. I'm hitting the hay connecting with my ape-like ancestors right now. This one guy, he says his name is Mok or something, says hello, I think, idk.

[@InsertHandleHere968]

I second that 😂😂😂❤

[@noobnaab4647]

Lighting it up, right now! Cheers 🦊.. Many thanks mister Millo!

[@thelostone6981]

“No daughter of mine is going to marry a Denisovian.” “But I love him dad. Ugh, you truly are a Neanderthal…” Jokes aside, I hope someday we can collect enough data to better understand these relationships because this is absolutely fascinating.

[@rashmibhargav1343]

And after thousands of year later, here we r... The hybrids. The boys. The bastards.

[@magnipettersson4432]

​@@rashmibhargav1343we dem Bois *proceeds to be slanky and stamina based*

[@grovermartin6874]

But it was the women who moved. What was that about?

[@DownInFraggleRock977]

​@@grovermartin6874they may have been forced by the males or traded

[@eric2500]

@@grovermartin6874 patrilocal culture?

[@amandavandenberg9258]

As both a stoner and an archeology nerd I thank you doubly for all you do!

[@jayarava]

Isn't stoner just another name for an archaeology nerd? 🤣

[@stewartglass]

no. one is an aged stoner, the other is a stone ager @@jayarava

[@brycetsawyer]

I too am an archeological nerd who is stoned watching this at 4:09 am

[@dusk_en]

same here

[@victoriajones1575]

My peoples!!

[@rosemadder5547]

When this guest says "I'm glad you asked", I've never heard anyone say it and mean it so much 😂 Dude was soooo happy you asked ☺ I love hearing people that get to work in a field they are passionate about.

[@BeWellReneeLittlebird]

Absolutely that there is the stuff of a life well lived🎉

[@khem127]

@ellenlewis9860 But the girls werent busy with the denisovans, only the Neanderthal boys, but you could be right it could've been bride kidnapping by the Neanderthal boys.

[@schmitzkatzewupper]

Well said

[@Okijuben]

It is so cool to think about the interplay and lives of these women who are related but lived in these caves that are 75km away from each other. You rock, Stefan!

[@briancavanagh7048]

Interesting to think about what happened so many years ago. Where the females taken as slaves in battle? Or did the cave dwellers meet seasonally or even less occasionally to trade females? Probably but not necessarily a Romeo & Juliet story.

[@Kaczyfunny]

They surley cant think about eachother too much bad if they sent their faughters to the others that much... or is this an ancient R&J story?

[@margo3367]

@@KaczyfunnyAnd if the women are moving around, possibly to mate and raise families of their own, that precludes inbreeding/incest.

[@casteretpollux]

75 km is really not that far on foot or by water. On the camino, a tough walk, 20 km per day is normal. But it is problematic for grandmothering.

[@iamblackthorne]

They could have been stolen.

[@Akkesama]

I really love that you include original artwork. Shows the amount of care and collaboration that goes into this channel.

[@MeganVictoriaKearns]

Yes! Agreed! 👍 💯

[@sharonhobbs4144]

So long as we credit the artist

[@DavideDF]

@@sharonhobbs4144he credits the artist in the outro. The artist is Ettore Mazza.

[@toryfoster3300]

Not a stoner but i do love these videos when I’m chilling out at night and it is 3:45 am for me right now. Love your work, art, and curiosity, Stefan!

[@margo3367]

Stoners aren’t up at 4 am. They can’t stay awake that long. 😎✌️

[@OVREZ]

I was unsure what to do in school, i took a bio anthro class, became super interested and saw this channel…snowball effect happened and now im majoring in anthropology

[@jamieharford1008]

I'm high, it's 2.21am but I certainly didn't stumble here by chance. You are the man, thanks for another great video.

[@michaelfleming4015]

Amazing that so many Neanderthal individuals from the same cave have been found. And this is after excavating only 1/3 of the cave. The relationships between the individuals and how they relate to other populations are just fascinating and invaluable!

[@anyascelticcreations]

Here's a thought. Maybe they lived in 1 or 2 of the caves and buried their dead in the other.

[@user-lb8bg6kj9m]

​@@anyascelticcreations More like the cave collapsed on them while they were sleeping.

[@anyascelticcreations]

@@user-lb8bg6kj9m Hmm. Now I'm curious. I was thinking they said that the skeletons looked like they were intact at the time of death. But I could easily be remembering that from a different video. If the skeletons looked crushed at the time of death I'd say you were probably right. But I would think the archeologists would have come to that conclusion if they were crushed. Because it is a good thought.

[@user-lb8bg6kj9m]

@@anyascelticcreations Not like that. The cave entrance collapsed sealing them all in.

[@johnvidal70]

Maybe Denisovans lived in these cave and they were eating Neanderthals.

[@noobnaab4647]

I live all my life in the Iberian Peninsula, and since i am a child i always got fascinated by neanderthal man. My father would bring me to a rock cliff sharp into the high sea to go swim and spear fish in a cave that would flood in the high tide, i remember crying before entering due to the noise of the waves and the dark cave, once inside, my old man sit me down and showed to me a place with a old fire and the deepest part of the cave is shutdown with metal bars, its written there that neanderthal man lived there, so as a child i thought they was the most brave humans ever "how could someone live in a cave and not be scared with the sea and water flooding"..... Only afther as a adult and thanks to awesome peopl like you mister Millo that i understand the geo changes and etc... Never stop... Many thanks...

[@Jabranalibabry]

That's awesome, your dad gave you the love for our hominin cousin

[@AmericanShia786]

Your videos are great to watch at any time or day! At age 63, I can't believe how much we have learned about ancient humans since I was first getting into science in grade school. It is the same with astronomy. Yes, I was one of those nerdy kids who loved science, then Jazz and reading Science Fiction. Your channel keeps me up to date with recent archaeological discoveries. I also watch a Dutch woman's channel. Anton Petrov has a great science channel as well.

[@sidilicious11]

100 degrees here in Oregon. I wet myself down and am in the hammock in the shade ready to listen to this!

[@johntillman6068]

I'm in the second hottest place in Oregon, but in my cool, dark basement.

[@kevinberrien745]

Always enjoy your content! I really enjoy coverage of contemporary research and interviews of the actual researchers too!

[@CookaSoupNieceEH]

Dear Mr. Milo I understand that my suggestion is controversial and not KZbin friendly. Nevertheless there is evidence that early hominids did things that we consider now as repulsive, e.g. eating and butchering other hominids. This is why it got me thinking, when in our evolution did we "stop" engaging in non-consent sex and transition into consensual sex? Is ancient Greek Greco-Roman wrestling circumstantial evidence of how a early hominid like Ardi engaged in non-consent sex? Is the concept of sports/olympics derived from our evolutionary transition from non-consent sex to consensual sex and is there any correlation? Did Lucy's mother stand on a hypothetical highway bent over hoping that primates get her first before the lions? Or was she dragged against her will to the trees by a passing male? Or was it something completely different? I understand that people may feel uncomfortable by these questions, but I'm not the architect of primate behavior. It is what it is.

[@Katie-ry4lj]

Yes! I appreciate this so much.

[@LuisAldamiz]

There is also the seldom studied X-chromosome lineage (non-recombinable segment). From memory now (if someone is interested, I can document further) there seems to be one such X-DNA lineage from Neanderthals and (IMO) it is the same that was previously found to be most divergent from the others and found most concentrated in some specific populations such as Basques, Gujaratis or Native Americans. It was labeled B006. X-DNA lineages can come from either side, let's not assume it is matrilineal just because women have two X chromosomes and men inherit our X-chr from our mums (but the non-recombinable segment can be from her mum or her dad). In fact, in a study in coastal Colombia, X-DNA documented the repeated arrival of waves of European male settlers, unlike mtDNA, which was fundamentally aboriginal and documented that almost no female settlers arrived instead.

[@molloblin]

Certainly seems like an interesting way to parse between purely matrilineal and patrilineal inheritance and ease out patterns over pairs of generations (grandfather to grandchild). Good stuff

[@ambergilbeyjustin7774]

I'd watch

[@LuisAldamiz]

Just for the record, I mentioned this issue of X-DNA haplotype B006 being possibly of Neanderthal origin in my old blog: forwhattheywereweare.blogspot.com/2011/01/is-x-dna-lineage-neanderthal.html

[@andrewscoppetta4944]

Stefan, do you remember the match we had at Wimbledon? That was a banger for sure. Your match point ace was unreal. If only I could have returned that serve, that ball boy would still have his right hand. Don’t blame yourself, he never should have tried to catch it on the bounce. It’s not your fault. Paying for his medical bills with your winnings was a super classy move though. ‘97 was one hell of a year!

[@Alasdair37448]

"Being eaten by hyenas is a certifiable bummer" - Stefan Milo. Legendary .

[@nineteenfortyeight6762]

They're scavengers tho

[@masterlinguini]

i really just love this channel it is such good quality and you're such a great host! i love the way the video progresses to make us ask questions the same way you did. What a great interview too - such a great video Stefan!

[@jameswithers2334]

I think that the sample size could be relatively small. There could very well be other sites in the region with individuals possessing different mixtures of inherited material. Or the other sites of habitation may not have survived at all, which seems likely.

[@SupahTrunks7]

Yeah my initial assumption is either that the cave closer to the denisovan cave (which they had a hard time getting sample results from) May yield some individuals with denisovan dna, or that denisovan women were more like orangutans than chimps and did not have the same female dispersal that Neanderthals did, leading to Neanderthal dna entering their community but denisovan dna staying put

[@jessicaj2990]

@@SupahTrunks7 yea even among human populations it's dependant on culture wether males or females are the ones to disperse. chimpanzees and bonobos are closely related, yet chimps have female dispersal and bonobos have male dispersal. just makes sense it would vary between homo species or even just different cultural groups within the same species.

[@local3433]

Very much enjoy your skill to contextualise things further for us beyond the scientific articles findings and your interviews. Thanks for the storytelling.

[@Ptaku93]

the image of a neanderthal man and his daughter 60,000 years ago and on another continent, speaking an unknown language, whose lives are otherwise absolutely lost to history, yet who shared love between one another and had their little moments and nicknames like all parents and children do nowadays, just had me tear up, ngl

[@darko714]

I have no problem imagining this. The words they spoke were likely precursors of the ones we use today, and their love was universal and timeless. It's okay to anthropomorphize them, because they were people.

[@Cobalt1520]

@@darko714no they weren’t. They weren’t our ancestors, and weren’t able of complex speech, they had the speech of a 2 year old human child. They were a different species, which emerged 300 000 years before us. So when we emerged they were already here since 300th years, so they could not be the same species. They were hominid, not humans.

[@darko714]

There's evidence that anatomically modern humans evolved more than 300,000 years ago (at least if the dating of remains found at Jebel Irhoud in Morocco is accurate). There's also evidence that their Neanderthal and Denisovan cousins, while anatomically distinct, were able to and did breed with the humans, which strongly suggests that they were not a separate species at all. However, perhaps I went a bit far in speculating that their language had evolved to a fairly advanced state. @@Cobalt1520

[@HkFinn83]

It’s not known whether Neanderthals possessed the language faculty, but it’s thought probably not from what’s known of linguistics.

[@KasumiRINA]

They literally have Valuev & Treshkova in russian Duma, and judging by these Neanderthals, they were not capable of human emotions or thought.

[@user-qt3br1wq2f]

Jokes on you Stefan! It’s not 4am but I am stoned to the bone, and a huge archeology nerd! It’s like you knew I just put down the bong!

[@kertpilman]

Thanks Stefan. Stoners like me have been watching you for years taking us deep into this story of our own past, keeping the imagination wandering on these different times... And the chance of it all leading up to the current time and our existence is just mind boggling.

[@Erinselysion]

It's just so cool that we can learn all of these details from ancient bones, DNA is such an interesting form of science

[@justdavedoindavestuff3479]

I'm both in archaeology nerd, and high (and drunk). But it's not 4 a.m. how do I fit into your demographic? Love yer channel.

[@wrp3621]

Need to change your clock .

[@gullyfoyle2615]

My favourite Natural history Channel strikes again! Great work Stefan.

[@glennhoetker2721]

Great to see what a talented interviewer you’ve become, Stefan. Thanks for helping bring us all this knowledge.

[@josephinetracy1485]

I don't understand his glorifying of the mixing, which has been proven to be the cause of genetic problems, as "beautiful families." Sexual fantasies should remain OUT of scientific study.

[@osmarmacrob]

Thank you! It's always amazing to see that the more me find out, the more find out how little we know. Every new piece of research just adds to the complexity of the puzzle.

[@GneasYTC]

You earned a subscription for accurately guessing that I am watching at 4AM. 🤣Alas, not high though. 😵‍💫 I really like your style, Stefan - very casual and conversational, but still managing to get the hard data across, with no sense of dumbing it down. I guess like most others who watch your vids, I'm fascinated by the story of human origins. It's become very clear in the last few decades that the old 'branching tree' model that I learned back in the 70s/80s is seriously flawed. Instead there has been a lot of crossover and reintegration between the branches. I wonder if it's becoming a bit inaccurate to think of Neanderthals/Denisovans/'Modern humans'/others as being different 'species'? Perhaps it would be more correct to think of us as subspecies of some overarching whole? I mean, we kept shagging each other throughout our evolution, apparently whenever we got a chance. Maybe we should be known collectively as the Horny Apes? As I said, not high but definitely tired, so probably writing nonsense at this stage. 😎 Again: really interesting stuff, thanks for taking the time to share with us.

[@Alarix246]

It wouldn't be possible to get to Homo sapiens without the horrible regular cataclysms which wiped the slate clean from time to time.

[@gawkthimm6030]

you are completly right in that its "inaccurate to think of Neanderthals/Denisovans/'Modern humans'/others as being different 'species" - since the word species usually means not being able to interbreed, which is why you wont hear Stefan say the word species, he just calls them all humans, homonids or archaic humans

[@BenSmith-jw8zy]

Sapiens is the globalist word for AI connected to tech. @@gawkthimm6030

[@MaryAnnNytowl]

I've been waiting for this! You're so good at these kinds of videos, Stefan! Sitting back to soak it all in, now. On an unrelated (but very important) note, please, please take time to tell your loved ones you love them EVERY chance you get. Tomorrow is not a given; you're never promised the next sunrise. ~ ~ ~ ~ "And don't let it break your heart. I know it feels hopeless sometimes. But they're never really gone as long as there's a memory in your mind." _Hold On To Memories_ Dave Draiman, Disturbed 💔💔 07 Jan 1984 - 02 Aug 2023 Rest in Peace, Matthew. Momma will miss you every day of my life! 😢

[@francoislancon798]

That was a real breakthrough find and study. Thank you to bring it out in this funny yet professional manner.

[@nilkilnilkil]

I like your aesthetic sense as well as your depth of coverage, stef. So, thanks for doing that for me specifically.

[@teresamerkel7161]

thank you for your hard work to bring such facinating information forward.

[@larryparis925]

This is a great, information-packed episode. So much to learn. Many thanks, Stefan.

[@KernowekTim]

Q: What is the definition of a Neanderthal virgin? A: A girl who can out-run her brothers.

[@Miriboheme]

excellent video, once again. thank you! i actually got a little tear in my eye when you revealed that there was a genetic connection between those two communities. it's not often we get such a glimpse into prehistory. beautiful.

[@jkratzok]

Stefan, I just have to say - I love your videos! You explain things so we’ll and keep it light but very informative and interesting! Thank you!

[@DonnyDustsPaleoTracks]

Awesome video! Thanks amigo!

[@urbannsquirrel]

The editing here was top notch! Really enjoyed this video. Thanks Mr. Milo and Dr. Skov!

[@harrisonandrew]

Stefan, I found that video absolutely fascinating. I cant tell you how much I enjoyed it. Thank you.

[@whitesun264]

Thanks for interpreting and relaying in an understandable way; I also liked your analysis and the questions which it raised for you.

[@Katie-ry4lj]

Heck yeah! I can’t wait to watch this tonight!!! I always get excited when a new Stefan Milo video drops!! ❤

[@Orcrez]

This made my Tuesday!!! Always interesting and amazing work!

[@joemanco-no4jy]

Great work Stefan. It is nice to have someone who knows something to start with put this new information together, contextualize it, and ask good questions of the author of this new paper. OK, go ahead and wake me up at 4:00 AM when you get something else like this.

[@uncletoad1779]

Such a fascinating content, such a first-rate presentation. Thanks again, Stefan! The quality of your channel is outstanding.

[@x-ratedalien]

Amazing work! Found your youtube recently and binged the hell out of it. The comment about how a family tree really humanizes their lives, and the reason why hyena dna would be entangled were so great!

[@jenseklof2653]

Thank you for helping us stay on top of what’s happening in academia on this topic. Love your videos.

[@jorgedawsonwetto25]

im a 24/7 stoner..but im also huge into history and pre history and your videos are awesome! very updated sources and good editing and always something new! congrats dude! 🎉

[@poorplayer9249]

Every answer poses more questions. Not frustrating...much, but the best kind of science discovery quest. I'm with you on this Stephan. It's more fascinating, and motivating, that anything else, really. Great video!

[@pcatful]

I studied genetics in college in the 70's. It has gone so far, but some of the terms and concepts are the same. I didn't pursue the field so I don't follow much of this so well. Fact is we are part Neanderthal. It could actually be one of our best parts, who knows? Given that we both share so great a part of our DNA with Chimpanzees, we're getting down to fine distinctions here.

[@analyticalmindset]

Correction a portion of our population share DNA with neanderthals. Africans don't share that DNA from what Stefan has said

[@billxx188]

It's 4 am somewhere. Your videos are the perfect set and setting for entertainment and education.

[@vladtheimpala5532]

I appreciate that you use stock footage that is as accurate as possible, and that you tell us when it’s different. Some channels don’t bother with that which can be annoying and potentially deceptive.

[@oswinhull4203]

I'm surprised they haven't found a full intact Neanderthal in the permafrost somewhere similar to the way they find mammoths. That will be the ultimate find.

[@rebeccasford]

That's really amazing. It would make sense that they were depositing their dead there. And if they lived somewhere else nearby, there might be evidence of that. I can't wait for more research to be done.

[@marthanewsome6375]

To think 50 to 60 thousands years ago humans got to Australia and that native Australians have a really good amount of Denisovan DNA too.

[@lightbeingform]

Right when I am in the middle of reading Angela Saini's new book! I am wowed by your relevance always, seeing how you talk about ancient stuff. Way to go! Keep following your passions, we are here for it. Hooray for a busy wife, but busy kids? I am imagining toddlers innlittle power outfits with briefcases babbling on bluetooth earpieces

[@HandyMan657]

And to think people have this crazy idea the planet's only 6k years old, so silly. Amazing information man, thank you.

[@sandorrabe5745]

What made you believe it's older than that? Neanderthal DNA ... the fact that we can still sequence it with enough precision to make any conclusion about the connection between "homo sapiens" and "neanderthal man" points to a much younger age of the specimen than is suggested. When I look at these skulls, I see the remains of human beings. We all descend from Noah and his sons and daughters-in-law, and ultimately from Adam and Eve. Don't be fooled by the "wise scientists" with their "millions of years" that they need to explain God away. Repent and read the Bible.

[@BenSmith-jw8zy]

Ever notice the Bible also says "He changes times and seasons"? Gods time is eternal, so yes the 6000 club is dumb, just adding numbers but not giving God absolute power over time? What is longer than everlasting to everlasting?

[@sandorrabe5745]

@@BenSmith-jw8zy "we" take the 6000 years from reading God's word in a natural way. Yes God is outside time, but in His word, He tells us He made day and night and the lights in the sky and the seasons for us, so that we have regularity and predictability and can be productive (genesis 1 and 2). He did manipulate time (or rather, the movement of earth and all other celestial bodies) after creation week at some moments as a sign/miracle. But the general rule is that everything is stable and predictable, like all the natural laws that He made. If you read the bible it's all quite clear really.

[@BenSmith-jw8zy]

Time is NOT. 1000 years is a day and a day is as a 1000 years, the 70 weeks of daniel means 490+ years? Im not arguing the prophecies are spot on sometimes, and we definitely have the technology for a mark of the beast now, which even 40 years ago seemed crazy, but I think units of time in the Bible are far different than what we observe now, because things like a nation being destoryed in an "hour" ive heard pastors say that means a day and others say its literal. Its very hard to draw absolutes from text as everyone is going to have a slightly different interpretation of what they read, which i guess is good as long as it doesnt cause strife hate and division. the main message of loving others as long as its possible is the most important thing, and trying to live with a clean conscience, which ive had to "reset" quite a few times as it is difficult to truly live as morally as the Bible asks us to. Of course, thats my opinion lol@@sandorrabe5745

[@EB-qi3mx]

Loved it - thank you so much for this Stefan!

[@StephMcAlea]

I love Stefan's ad reads! Always genuine and funny!

[@James-qp1xg]

I am a former stoner but it got me into these topics even now sober

[@russellbarndt6579]

Having the benefit of your interest to share this amazing discovery and others but your questions most particular that bring so much detail to this subject tjen how you introduce it then bring out the meaning, I will always have appreciation to be able to expand my understanding....

[@ozarklisa1199]

Behavioral differences prevent hybridization quite often. Tiger sexy is a little different than lion sexy.

[@mrsvle]

My guess is that the stubby chinless Neanderthals of both sexes thought the tall lean Homo sapiens were smokin hot !!

[@anonymous-yf6ur]

The female movements/migrations make very much sense to me. In my country, it's always the women who are married out of the village and men always stay at the village. This has been the custom for a very long time. I always wondered why it came to be so... but when I heard that Neanderthals had more female gentetical movement, everything started to fall into place. Maybe I am wrong, but I think this is the pattern in most of the settled type of civilizations/populations. Nomads are an exception tho

[@nerowolfga8543]

Not in fishing villages. Stray sailors from all over the world would turn up, as crew or castaways, and settle down usually with a widow. (Or have a brief weekend fling.) For often the village men would die at sea or find a home and wife in another port and never come home. There has been a fair bit of genetic work showing the genetic lines of the women in fishing villages were often stable for centuries and the male genetics came from all over.

[@anonymous-yf6ur]

@nerowolfga8543 again, it makes sense for fishing villages. Fishing means they are near a water body. Usually a river or a sea. So obviously many people will migrate out and many people will migrate in. I was talking about landlocked or non Fishing/trade hub societies.

[@jessicaj2990]

thousands of years of men selling women like cattle, claming they're subhumans to be traded off for commercial and social alliances as they please, will do that. in most cultures around the world men have abused their superior physical strength, creating patrifocal societies with strong male alliances, while women were constantly uprooted and thrown into new communities, unable to form strong intergenerational bonds, being too busy trying to appease their new group. that was beneficial for men, chimps operate the same, their groups are unstable and aggressive because of that, constantly "at war" with other groups of chimps (sounds familiar?). bonobos are matrifocal with male dispersal and much more peaceful, bc the males are less likely to band together and form aggressive groups with unrelated strangers. I've read humans used to be matrifocal, which honestly makes more sense. from a reproductive standpoints females are more valuable, why would you endanger them by sending them off to a stranger group taht may or may not kill her, or she might get attacked by animals on the way to the new territory. male dispersal is just less risky for everyone involved, but well you can't build patrilineal dynasties with this system, which human males became obsessed about at some point in pre history.

[@OldHeathen1963]

Always look forward to your vids man 👍

[@CristinaAshley8]

I just got back onto the whole pre-history wagon the last week and a half and I've learned so much. It's amazing, these pre-people existed. They had some sort of dynamic, definitely understood that they needed to be near each other to survive, and left an imprint that we today are still trying to understand. It's amazing, I don't think I'll ever get tired of learning more about our beginning.

[@rockinbobokkin7831]

Quality content as usual! Thanks Milo

[@stormevans6897]

I would love to somehow meet and learn about these long gone people, they're so fascinating.. I'd love to know more about their culture, about the things we could never figure out from just looking at bones.

[@MeganVictoriaKearns]

I've always been more interested in the day-to-day lives and cultural beliefs of extinct hominids, much more than the "big picture" kinds of information that tends to be all that can be verified when we only have bones to deal with. A scarce amount of bones, too.

[@hom3chuk]

Love your videos, good stuff as always. Awesome production, awesome story, brilliant way of humanizing someone so far away in time from us. Also, mic fork is missing in the new setup?

[@Pixxelshim]

Wonderful discussion, presentation and artwork! Thanks again.

[@Snarge22]

I figure the problems with inbreeding were long known so efforts were made to reduce such incidences. One can imagine distant tribes meeting at some time during a season to have "exchange marriages" to mix up the DNA. While it's a guess on my part, this seems doable. Also, I could see the wildly spread Polynesians doing something of the same thing.

[@johntomasini3916]

Always enjoy your video's Stefan, education never stops. My interest comes from an Australian indigenous friend who's history can now be traced back 75,000 years, I'm always looking for those ancient connections.

[@tyronefrielinghaus3467]

This is great : thanks so much for taking the effort. I truly appreiate it. Great production values too

[@Giuachino]

As to the explanation of the hyena/Neanderthaler DNA mixing. At some point the cave got abandoned. We know this for a fact because we found it abandoned. The cave could have been inhabited by hyenas long after the cave was abandoned. Like dogs they would chew on bones, this is an instinctual bite strength exercise. To differentiate this theory from the one shown in the picture of a hyena holding a severed head of a Neanderthal, which theorizes active hunting or a death ritual, we could look for excrement in the soil of the cave. If you find hyena excrement, the bones were more likely to have been contaminated by a doggo family happily munching the time away on some ancient Neanderthaler bones. In some Walhalla dog cave filled to the brim with toys. You can even dig them up!!! (This would produce a sign of scattering of bones belonging to the same body throughout the cave.)

[@fukpoeslaw3613]

Oh yes, Milo dominating the tennis scene, what days they were, we thought they'd never end!

[@slwrabbits]

When I was that age, or maybe a bit younger, we made me stop playing tennis because I kept hitting myself in the head with the racket.

[@fukpoeslaw3613]

@@slwrabbits 😄, everybody has their own unique talent!

[@Ryhno999]

As both an archeology nerd and a stoner, I greatly appreciate the call out. I feel seen

[@judemorales4U]

😂

[@matthewdrum2961]

Love lots of your videos Stefan, but this was one of the most interesting yet!

[@stevenbalderstone709]

Quite amazing! You are a great science communicator, keep it up.

[@Mr3DBob]

Well, it's really only 3:39, but you guessed it pretty close. Fascinating stuff - genealogical reality. I'm a 3.6% Neand, and I miss my Denisovan sweetheart from eons ago. This is as romantic as an Omeleto short film.

[@melissab8500]

This is great! Thank you so much for taking the time to decipher the data for us. You really made it come alive. Sounds like the Denisovan's women didn't wander lol, I hope there are updates in the future

[@MattttG3]

20:40 you are very appreciated for doing so. I always love your videos

[@charlieculp3956]

Helluva delivery there, buddy! My attention was captured by this info

[@lampyrisnoctiluca9904]

This makes me wonder if Neanderthals had some character differences from the early Homo sapiens? Things like were they more introverted for example? Or were they basically the same people as we are now?

[@Dave-bt8pm]

Love your work! Cheers!

[@fiveandfour]

I don’t know why, but the total population sizes of Neanderthal and other prehistoric human types had never occurred to me before as a significant factor in the genetic successes and failures of the different branches of our ancestors. The rapid changes to the genome that takes an individual away from the genetic ideal of its species within something like a couple of generations of inbreeding could explain so much 🤯. Thanks for facilitating this discussion.

[@readmycomment3157]

Incredible video. I don't understand people who don't find this fascinating, my imagination goes wild hearing about the lives of these individuals from so long ago

[@Edengar86]

I really like what you do on this channel, like, you explain complex stuff really well at a level I'm able to understand ...I'm super curious to learn about ancient humans, how they lived, what did they feel, how did they think etc, but I'm not a genius, I can't understand like, scientific papers lol ^^;; so thanks, really cool video, it's really interresting to think about neandertal women moving around in between groups!

[@Geno2ar]

I’m high at 7pm and I feel so seen 😂 god I love this channel

[@fannybrisker5797]

I always enjoy your programs!

[@jeffkzhj9477]

Great content! Keep up the good work ❤😎

[@Potkanka]

It's interesting and yes, the father-daughter connectino definitely makes thme seem more... real, I guess? More familiar. I hope we'll eventually learn more about their family structures, possibly some traditions etc.

[@Ainzdabest]

The women moving between tribes could be because they've been captured on raids or traded as property.

[@sofiakaitlyn]

Many modern human cultures have the woman move into the man's home (or family home) when they get married. I'm guessing it was probably their culture as well.

[@freefall9832]

Definitely, one group would drive off the males and run off with the females.

[@fnansjy456]

Netherthals wouldn't real have the concept of property plus while them being captured could have happened it would have been rare due to the fact it would not be a very effective way of breeding due to the cost of death voluntary movement is much more likely and would not lead to an decrease in Cooperation

[@alayneperrott9693]

Really interesting and throws up lots of new questions. Thanks. ❤

[@lawrence5117]

A fascinating topic very well presented. Thanks Stefan. I've downloaded the paper in the hope my poor brain will be able to follow some of it.

[@FreeManFreeThought]

My thought is, maybe if we just viewed these as simply families. Having grown up in a rural area, it sounds a little like "oh, the Smiths are always hooking up with the De Jongs (insert inbreeding joke here), but no De Jong will marry any Rousseau because great granddaddy Rousseau screwed over great granddaddy Smith, and we have principles around here". Communities, sure, but if these groups operated more as really close knit families it would make sense. I am autistic, and I have heard more than one expert theorise that my brain type may be *possibly* a neanderthal inheritance. If that is proven true then it would be very interesting, as most other people that I know who are autistic (my spouse included), tend to have smaller friend groups & form much tighter bonds than allistic individuals. I have a few incredibly close friends, but I don't function well in large groups; it's too overwhelming, but I have a phenominal memory and can pick out the minutest of details in my environment. I know that this is speculative, but when I learn about neanderthals, they don't seem that strange to me at all.

[@therat1117]

I think we should be wary of people assigning us as not coming from Homo sapiens; our traits are very well-adapted for a Palaeolithic environment encountered by H. sapiens groups, and so instead allistics perhaps should be considered 'H. neanderthalensis inheritance' lol. In reality I think we're just natural variance within the genus Homo, whose difference has become amplified due to the rigid conformism of modern society.

[@FreeManFreeThought]

@@therat1117 The flipside that I see is, maybe we should see them as simply another variety of modern human. They are us; I get where you are coming from, but the more we learn about humans from the last couple hundred thousand years, the less different they seem. It's something that I had read that was an interesting thought. I don't place too heavy a weight to it, but it made sense to me as potential adaptations to a harsh environment that couldn't support large populations.

[@therat1117]

@@FreeManFreeThought You mean Neanderthals and Denisovans? Yes, there is a good argument to be made that viewing us (the former two and we H. sapiens) as separate species is fundamentally incorrect, as there are only ~300,000 years of separation between us (compared to the usual few million years), and we are 99.7% genetically similar compared to most species which are usually around only 98% or less similar. We are only viewed as 'so different' because humans are very conscious of physiological differences among humans. It's often said 'well compare the difference in skull between a Neanderthal and a modern human, you can't tell the difference between a lion and tiger skull!' and the reality is that if you compare the differences between, say, the Kebara 2 skull (Neanderthal, ~60,000 BP) and Qafzeh 11 skull (H. sapiens, ~90,000 BP), the anatomical differences are very minor, whereas the difference between a lion skull and a tiger skull are very extensive (the easy tell is that tiger cheekbones are much wider than a lion's), but don't look at all obvious to a human because we aren't as capable of noticing differences in big cat skulls compared to human ones.

[@TT3TT3]

Maybe they had meet ups or festivals where young folk could meet. I'm sure they travelled alot if they were hunter gatherers. If we wonder what happened to them - we only have to look at our own behaviour with all other species and other humans to realize that what happened to them likely was pretty violent.

[@Sebastian-if9ii]

I completely agree with this. It is not unreasonable to assume that they had religious, spiritual and festive practices that would spread much further than 75km - With varying practices from clan to clan. The exchange of young would also seek to ensure that the relation between all the individual Neanderthal Tribes would remain strong, despite far distances, so that if hunters from two clans met each other they would know of them. It's like meeting someone on a night out, who goes to your sister's school, you automatically trust them just a bit more because there is that link. My personal theory as to why there are so many bodies in caves, is that it was indeed a burial site but also a general place to hide from the elements in harsh weather conditions. Burying the dead in one corner would leave a lot of the cave usable without worrying too much about stepping on bodies. This would protect their dead against hyenas and other scavengers, especially if they often used the mouth of the cave as a camp site or primitive village. But thats just my own theories from the information given lol.

[@jeffmacdonald9863]

That's really common among later H. sapiens hunter-gatherer groups. For young people to find mates. To swap stories and lore. To pass on newly learned things. Boast and show off. Interesting to think how sapiens fit into those traditions when they first showed up. Did they see each other as different competitors at the start? Or did small bands of sapiens also meet up and interact with these small bands of neanderthals, much like they did with each other? I'm not sure though why they think all these people were from the same community? Obviously the closely related ones were, but the others? Why couldn't multiple bands have moved through the same area at different times of the year? Or even centuries apart?

[@hellooutthere8956]

​@@jeffmacdonald9863they said the bones were all from the same silt level.

[@hellooutthere8956]

WoW wht a bummer to consider tht. This connection with these ppl make me feel connected really.

[@muchacho3612]

I more blown away by how you drew almost perfect circle

[@JHaven-lg7lj]

Brilliant and fascinating, as always. Looking forward to the next one!

[@pzuliomaccavellion9711]

Awesome video, as usual. Cheers

[@mellissadalby1402]

Another possibility to consider to explain the 10x Mitochondiral diversity compared to the Y Chromosome could be a scenario siilar to what prevails in an Elk herd. You have a Dominant male Buck and a Harem of females. It could also be that females were traded between tribal groups (if they had something like tribes).

[@theviper1999uk]

Puzzling and incredible glimpse into the past. Thank you Stefan